Wednesday, September 30, 2009

$10,000 Donation to NorthEast Foundation

Monday was the big day! We met at the entrance to the Breast Imaging Center at CMC-Copperfield to give the $10,000 check to the directors of the program. We had alot of support from some of our survivors and sponsors who attended and wore their FOC shirts!

Adam Cook, the director of the NE Foundation, started with a thank you and a brief update of the NE Foundation's success with their breast health program. He told us some very interesting facts and statistics about healthcare in our community - which has improved since the founding of the NE Foundation!

Here we are with our oversized check! $10,000 to the order of NorthEast Foundation!

Then we moved inside for a tour of the Breast Imaging Center. Paula Galvin showed us around and shared with us about the smallest details of the program. She mentioned that a lot of thought was put into the decor and feel of the lobby. They wanted women to feel like they were waiting in a spa atmosphere to reduce the stress and nerves while waiting. She shared about the "Be a Champion" campaign, where they train and inform mostly men about breast cancer and coping with it. Men can be such a huge part of their wife's battle against breast cancer.

Paula showed us around the facility and explained the process of being examined and consulting with your doctor, etc. She showed off their dressing rooms, where women wait to be taken in for their mammograms. Each dressing room has one of our survivors' prints in it with a successful story of breast cancer. There are journals in each room for women to write their thoughts and feelings, which is inspiring for the next woman to look through.

One thing that really stood out in our minds was a wall of information in the lobby. In the center is an image that the NE Foundation has used as their representation on all their breast cancer pieces. Notice the image is three young women of different races. Paula expressed how that image was strategically chosen because of the word they're trying to spread. You don't have to be older. You don't have to be unhealthy. Breast cancer affects everyone!

We appreciate Paula for taking the time to show us around. We really enjoyed the tour! Thank you to Meredith, Adam, and Paula for attending our event and supporting us along the way! We appreciate all of our sponsors and everyone who attended the event. This year was a success and we hope next year will be even bigger! What do you think we should set our goal at for next year - $15,000? $20,000? Thoughts?

Focused on a Cure isn't idle until then. We've got the Avon Walk fastly approaching in October. Relay for Life in May of 2010. And I'm sure find a few more in between!